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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has appointed G4S as the supplier of tagging equipment that will support its electronic monitoring services such as offender management after cancelling a contract to develop a bespoke Global Positioning System (GPS) solution last year.

The department has confirmed that the company, which continues to be the subject of a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation alongside Serco over its previous tagging contracts and charging, has been chosen via competitive tender process to supply the equipment. It is understood that the equipment will be managed and fitted by another provider as part of a broader series of contracts.

“Electronic monitoring is an important tool to improve supervision in the community and support offenders to change their lives,” said the department in a statement.

No timeline has been set for the conclusion of the investigation into G4S and Serco, which was launched in November 2013 following a government-wide review of the two companies’ Whitehall contracts based on MoJ fears about overcharging.

During the same year, both companies withdrew from contracts to provide electronic tagging services to the MoJ, while also pledging to undertake a structural transformation of their operations and an overhaul of senior leadership.

However, Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon was critical of the new decision to award the hardware contract to a company still under SFO investigation over their previous handling of a tagging deal.

Questions must be answered as to why G4S given new govt tagging contract despite ongoing Serious Fraud Office probe.https://t.co/fSDF7zBT9t

In signing the latest agreement, it is understood that the MoJ has tried to set out strict technical and legal requirements as part of the tender process. These requirements have ranged from imposing quality thresholds and financial standing factors, to more comprehensive testing for the hardware being provided by G4S.

An MoJ team is also expected to be on-site to work with contractors in order to better interrogate systems and data being used through the contract.

A tender notice was published last July with the aim to select a single provider to supply hardware to monitor individuals with regards to their curfew and location as part of a wider integrated contractor model that is already in place.

The decision to go to market for a hardware supplier was issued after MoJ announced in February 2016 that it would be terminating its contract with Steatite Limited to develop a bespoke GPS tagging solution for offender management.

The department noted that it would opt to procure an alternative off-the-shelf technology currently on the market instead.

In a written statement to Parliament at the time, the government said the contract to develop a tagging system providing monitoring hardware had been "challenging".